The Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration (MACSM) is a tripartite body, comprising business/industry, union and government representatives. It provides advice to the relevant Minister on Australia’s skilled migration programs and associated matters.
Terms of Reference
MACSM advises the Minister on:
- Policy settings to optimise the contribution of skilled migration to Australia’s economy, including in regional Australia, and in attracting the best and the brightest.
- The size and composition of Australia’s temporary and permanent skilled migration programs.
- Skill shortages in the labour market which cannot be met from the domestic labour force and domestic training and education programs.
- Opportunities to reduce regulatory burdens and costs on Australian businesses seeking to access visa programs to fill genuine skilled vacancies.
- Policies to ensure that Australian workers are afforded priority in the labour market.
- The migration needs of states and territories, especially in the regions.
- The adequacy of regulatory powers of the Department of Home Affairs to ensure integrity and detect and prevent practices which are inconsistent with the intent of the programs.
- Opportunities to address the exploitation of migrant workers.
- Strategies to ensure Australia’s migration programs contribute to Australia’s security and prosperity.
- The migration system’s ongoing effectiveness, including its alignment with Government priorities and intended outcomes.
MACSM is comprised of a General Council, and an Expert Sub-Committee. The Expert Sub-Committee supports the relevant Minister and MACSM through the provision of robust, evidence-based, expert analysis and advice; and progressing project work to deliver agreed MACSM outcomes, including via:
- Relevant analysis and/or research papers commissioned/requested by the Minister/MACSM Secretariat.
- Provision of advice on preferred approaches, based on academic/international migration program expertise.
- Provision of relevant benchmarking with international approaches.
- Other deliverables, as requested by the Minister/MACSM Secretariat.
Members of the MACSM Expert Sub-Committee are members of MACSM. The Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia is an invited observer at MACSM.
In providing advice, MACSM gives consideration to the broader migration context while retaining a focus on skilled migration.
The Department of Home Affairs provides secretariat support to MACSM.
Current list of MACSM members until June 2027
Core committee member organisations and their representatives
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI)
Mr Andrew McKellar
Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
Ms Michele O’Neil
Australian Industry Group (AiG)
Mr Innes Willox
Australian Workers’ Union (AWU)
Mr Paul Farrow
Australian Meat Industry Employee’s Union (AMIEU)
Mr Matthew Journeaux
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF)
Ms Annie Butler
Business Council of Australia (BCA)
Mr Bran Black
Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA)
Ms Melinda Cilento
Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA)
Mr Wes Lambert
Electrical Trades Union (ETU)
Mr Michael Wright
National Farmers Federation (NFF)
Mr Michael Pyers
Regional Australia Institute (RAI)
Ms Liz Ritchie
Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA)
Mr Gerard Dwyer
United Workers Union (UWU)
Mr Tim Kennedy
The Hon Matt Thistlethwaite MP – Assistant Minister for Immigration and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, chairs the MACSM core committee meetings.
Expert subcommittee members
Ms Elizabeth Collett (Chair)
Global Fellow
Migration Policy Institute
Associate Professor Anna Boucher
The University of Sydney
Dr Peter Varela
Australian National University
Associate Professor Aude Bernard
University of Queensland
Associate Professor Bassina Farbenblum
University of New South Wales
Mr Henry Sherrell
Policy Advisor, The Scanlon Foundation
Dr Aruna Sathanapally
CEO, Grattan Institute
Mr David Wilden
Consulting Specialist, David Wilden Consulting
Associate Professor Chris F Wright
The University of Sydney Business School
